The Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) plays a critical role in creating assessment tools, producing policies endorsing ‘best practices’, assuring and alleging equity and safety in its child welfare practices that affects the lives of vulnerable children in government custody. Regardless of their efforts, reports of sexual violence against children in government custody continue to emerge. The overrepresentation of Aboriginal girls in the foster system saturates the industry with Aboriginal female children vulnerable to sexual violence and creates the conditions for long term suffering as a result of child sexualized abuse at the hands of ministry caregivers. In this study a qualitative interview method was used to speak to key informants who are Aboriginal female survivors of the foster care system to explore the effects of and responses to sexual abuse in the foster care system in BC. This research specifically looks at the lives and health of Aboriginal girls who have experienced sexualized violence in foster care. It looks at their accomplishments and successes regardless of the sexualized violence and of the social responses they received regarding the sexualized violence. The research also explores the challenges the girls and women have experienced as a result of the sexualized violence. In addition, this research makes recommendations around professional and therapeutic intervention and prevention. / Graduate / 0452 / 0534 / 0453 / rachelle_dallaire@yahoo.com

Syftet med denna studie har varit att beskriva och analysera attityder hos socialsekreterare till homosexuella par som familjehemsföräldrar. Våra frågeställningar som har genomsyrat studien har varit centrerade kring vilka attityder till homosexuellas lämplighet som familjehemsföräldrar det finns hos socialsekreterare som arbetar med målgruppen barn och familj, samt hur attityder till homosexuella som familjehemsföräldrar ser ut beroende på de homosexuella parens kön. Socialsekreterarna som har medverkat i studien arbetar inom kommuner i södra Sverige med ärenden som rör målgrupperna barn och familj. Studiens empiriska data har inhämtats med hjälp av enkäter som består av frågor och påståenden som är baserade på tidigare forskning. Vi har analyserat vår data i förhållande till diskurs inom socialt arbete som profession och heteronormativitet. Resultaten visar att socialsekreterarnas attityder till homosexuella som familjehemsföräldrar är övervägande neutrala till positiva, även om det finns uppfattningar om att barn till homosexuella löper större risk än barn till heterosexuella att bli utsatta för mobbing och negativa attityder från den sociala omgivningen. Resultaten visar även att socialsekreterarna inte gör skillnad på homosexuellas lämplighet beroende på kön.

Master of Social Work / This research is about evidence based practice, which is an area of increasing interest and emphasis in social work today. Initially apparent in medical and health care settings, evidence based practice now has widened applicability to a broad range of contexts and professional disciplines. The ways in which research evidence is translated into policy and practice is itself a topic area for social work research. The study investigates evidence based practice in child welfare, specifically the out-of-home care system. Out-of-home care provides alternative placements for children and young people who cannot live with their families because of abuse and neglect, and generally consists of placement with foster carers or in a residential/group care setting. This research is an exploratory study which investigates through individual interview how nineteen out-of-home care Senior Managers and Team Leaders in the states of New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory interpret and understand evidence based practice, and the degree and depth of knowledge they transfer from research awareness into out-of-home care practice and policy development. The research has three main objectives. Firstly to investigate the understanding of out-of-home care managers of evidence based practice, secondly to determine the influence of relevant research on practice and policy in out-ofhome care, and thirdly to explore potential barriers to evidence based practice. Looking After Children, a social work case management system for children and young people in out-of-home care, provides the context for this research, in which evidence based practice is critically examined. A thematic analysis of the interview data identified five major themes. These included: the benefit of broadening definitions of evidence based practice to include a wide range of influences on practice; the value and importance of 2 considering a broad range of research approaches in connecting research with policy and practice AND the potential for influencing outcomes of social work intervention via research based and influenced guided practice systems and techniques; factors which constitute barriers and also those that enhance the implementation of evidence based practice; the potential for instigating and supporting new research via the use of evidence based practice for purposes such as data aggregation, in addition to practice development and enhancement of client outcomes. Implications and conclusions are drawn from this study in relation to out-ofhome care policy and practice, with particular reference to use of the Looking After Children case management system in the Australian context. These include the potential of a consistent system such as LAC to provide common language and assessment tools and procedures in a welfare sector that is fragmented by lack of national legislation, and the potential for development of national out-of-home care research projects as a result of cross agency LAC implementation resulting in data aggregation opportunities.

abstract: Children removed from methamphetamine laboratories are a severely understudied population despite the widespread deprivation parental methamphetamine abuse has on children, particularly in homes where methamphetamine is produced. Arizona's children are uniquely affected by the use and manufacturing of methamphetamine due to the geographic location and landscape of the state. A sample of 144 children removed from their homes during the seizure of methamphetamine laboratories, as part of the Arizona Drug Endangered Children program between 1999 and 2003, was investigated. Results indicate that younger children were more likely to be reported by Child Protective Services as high or moderate risk of further abuse, test positive for methamphetamine, and have maternal alleged perpetrators of abuse. Older children were more likely to be reported as low risk for further abuse, test negative for methamphetamine, and have paternal alleged perpetrators of abuse. Results also show that children initially placed in foster care were more likely to remain in foster care at the final assessment than to be living with a parent or kin. These findings have implications for individuals working with children removed from methamphetamine laboratories, including Child Protective Services case workers, medical personnel, temporary and permanent child caregivers (i.e., foster care, kin care, adoptive parents, and shelters), and community members (i.e., teachers). Recommendations based on study findings are offered to child and family advocates and interventionists. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Family and Human Development 2011

abstract: ABSTRACT Many foster children experience numerous placements while in out-of-home care; some up to fifteen in an 18 month period (Newton, Litrownik, & Landsverk, 2000). Placement stability is important for children to find permanent families, and for social, emotional and educational development of children. This study used the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) data set to examine foster child and caregiver characteristics, and the caregiver-child relationship as a predictor of placement stability in the long term foster care general sample. Logistic regression was performed with the Complex Samples add-on to appropriately weight the NSCAW sampling. Children who were placed in foster homes or kinship homes and who had not been returned home at the Wave 3 interview were included in the study. The sample consisting of 562 children was divided into three groups based on age: Early Group 1, childhood ages 1to 5, group 1;Group 2, Middle childhood ages 6 to 10, group 2; Group 3, Adolescence ages 11 to 18, group 3. Results are consistent with previous studies in that children in early childhood and middle childhood who were placed in foster homes were 83% and 87% less likely to achieve placement stability than children in kinship homes, respectively. In early childhood, each additional household member reduced the odds of achieving placement stability by 35%.The caregiver-child relationship did not predict placement stability. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Social Work 2011

The thesis deals with the experience of long-term foster parents and their opinions at the care of foster children. It looks at the impact of foster care on the psyche of children. The aim of this thesis is to determinate the effects of long-term foster care for children's mental and intellectual development. The theoretical part explains the difference between foster care and other types of care for children in need. It describes the historical development of foster care and it is legislative grounding in the legal system of the Czech Republic. The practical part contains interviews with long-term foster parents, two detailed studies of two selected children in foster care and also study of documentation regarding their mental health condition. All questions were answered and analyzed obtained data. The findings show, that long-term foster care is a quality institution with a positive impact on child development. These children easier overcome mental barriers and intellectual deprivation created in institutional care or in their biologicals families, which did not provide them quality environment.

Este trabalho objetivou discutir as interações entre serviços de acolhimento e famílias de crianças e adolescentes em medida de acolhimento por negligência. Está organizado em quatro capítulos e no formato de artigos. O Capítulo I consiste em uma introdução ao tema dos serviços de acolhimento para crianças e adolescentes no Brasil, os avanços ao longo dos anos e desafios atuais. Traz uma perspectiva geral e histórica sobre o tema infância e adolescência no Brasil relacionada à violência e as medidas protetivas associadas. O Capítulo II relata uma pesquisa qualitativa realizada à luz da Teoria Bioecológica do Desenvolvimento Humano, com base na inserção ecológica e com análise de dados pela Grounded Theory. Esta pesquisa foi realizada com duas famílias com crianças e adolescentes recolhidas em serviços de acolhimento de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Nesse capítulo está descrito todo o processo de pesquisa, desde a inserção nas instituições até a análise dos dados, integrando os resultados da pesquisa, as teorias, as leis e as discussões acerca do tema. O Capítulo III discute o acompanhamento das famílias das crianças e adolescentes em serviços de acolhimento dentro do Sistema de Garantia de Direitos de Crianças e Adolescentes no Brasil. Trata-se de uma revisão narrativa da legislação e literatura acerca do trabalho articulado com as famílias, embasada especialmente na legislação vigente, nas orientações técnicas dos diversos serviços e políticas públicas brasileiras e na experiência das pesquisadoras. É um capítulo teórico, mas com enfoque e objetivo de contribuir com a prática do acompanhamento das famílias. O Capítulo IV integra e sintetiza as discussões anteriores, de modo a apresentar algumas considerações acerca dos serviços de acolhimento, da interação entre família e instituição, assim como do acompanhamento familiar no Sistema de Garantia de Direitos. / This study aimed to discuss the interactions between foster care and families of children and adolescents in shelter for negligence. It is organized into four chapters. The First Chapter is a introduce about foster care in Brazil, the advances and current challenges. It show an overview and historical perspective about childhood and adolescence in Brazil, violence and protective measures. The Second Chapter report a qualitative research conducted from Bioecological Theory of Human Development, ecological insertion and data analysis by the Grounded Theory. This research was conducted with two families with children and adolescents in foster care in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. This chapter describes the research process, the analyze the data, integrating the results of the research, theories, laws and discussions about the subject. The Third Chapter discuss the the monitoring of families of children and adolescents in foster care into the Children's and Adolescents Rights Guarantee System in Brazil. This is a narrative review of the legislation and literature about the work with families, based in the current legislation, the technical guidance and Brazilian public policies. It’s a theoretical chapter, but the goal is contribute with the monitoring of families of children and adolescents in foster care. The Chapter IV integrates and summarizes previous discussions, in order to present some considerations about the care services, the interaction between family and institution, as well as family monitoring the Rights Guarantee System.

This research utilized Indigenous methodologies rooted in oral traditions, storytelling practices, and the Medicine Wheel teachings to examine how individuals, families, communities, social workers, and organizations can assist Indigenous youth who are aging-out of foster care and are transitioning into adulthood. The methods of inquiry included five one-on-one Story-Sharing Sessions with Indigenous adults who previously aged-out of care in British Columbia, and two Talking Circles comprised of ten Community Helpers including Elders, Mentors, Educators, and Foster Parents; and fifteen Delegated Aboriginal Agency Social Workers who worked directly and/or indirectly with Indigenous youth in and from foster care. This research was person-centered, strengths-based, and solutions-focused, and re-framed ‘aging-out of care’ terminology as ‘a transition into adulthood’ to honour the sacred life-cycle teachings of the Medicine Wheel. The core aim of this research was to aid in the development of a highly adaptive practical guide and theoretical framework for supporting Indigenous youth in and from care. / Graduate

Foster care youth face significant challenges to postsecondary educational success, especially while enrolled at four-year institutions. Foster care youth are absent of family support that their non-foster peers receive throughout the college experience. Without family support, foster care youth encounter greater challenges to persevere through college and reach graduation. Postsecondary education provides a fundamental opportunity for foster care youth to achieve positive life outcomes. Policy makers, social welfare agents and educators continue to advocate on behalf of foster care youth and have made it possible for them to attend college; however, lack of preparedness and support prevent foster care youth from staying in college. Skills necessary for college success are often gained in early stages of life. For many foster care youth it is in this early stage of life that they have been separated from biological family and placed in the foster care system. This research sought to answer the question: how does the family milieu influence postsecondary educational success for foster care youth? According to research, parents play a significant role in the accrual of educational, social and cultural skills needed for children to have success in later stages of life. Additionally, research supports that schooling becomes increasingly complex as life success becomes increasingly dependent on college success.

This study evaluated instruction and feedback on completion of data collection by licensed specialized Foster Parents caring for children with developmental disabilities and mental health issues. Instructions were delivered at the beginning of the intervention for three licensed specialized Foster Parents by providing them with a Foster Parent Handbook (FPH), and feedback was provided weekly based on the data collected by the Foster Parents. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to demonstrate the effects of instruction with frequent feedback, and an intervention fading phase was conducted by withdrawing the feedback component of the intervention several weeks following the intervention. The results showed an increase for each of the participants from 0% data completion in the baseline phase to 100% data completion in the intervention phase, with mean compliance of 92% during the fading phase. This study provides support for a packaged intervention for increasing data collection by Foster Parents that is less intensive than the traditional behavioral approaches to caregiver training.